The Case for Task Managment Systems

How many times have you received a “task” through email with no priority or due date attached? Just “Hey, do this…” with nothing more. It leaves you wondering when this particular “task” is supposed to be completed or how important this task may be. What if you’re slammed with about 5 different items at once and the email with the “task” disappears into the mass of emails you receive all day? Now you have the author of this “task” upset because their task was not completed by the time they didn’t specify in the email lost in your inbox. It’s a disaster just begging to happen.

Emails get lost. Task notes get thrown away by the cleaning crew. The dog ate my task. In using a task management system, none of these situations could ever happen.

A Task Management System is either a frightening or salvatory three words for the disorganized among us. It’s a savior for those desiring efficiency and a nightmare for those unwilling to change.

Wow, you are really convincing! So, what type of task management systems are out there? I’m glad you asked that question...

Task Management Systems range from the simplest (Ta-da Lists - http://tadalist.com/) to the more advanced (JIRA - http://www.atlassian.com/software/jira/). Both, of which, could meet your needs exceptionally well.Wow, JIRA looks really awesome! What are some pros and cons of the task management system? Another excellent question… PROS:

Task organization

Task prioritizing

Task collaboration between employees

Task status updates

Custom reports for Tasks

Task history CONS:

New system to learn.

That’s really about it, honestly.

It’s really a no brainer that the task management system is a major improvement over basic email and can bring about high efficiency in the work place.

The nice thing about Tracks is that it is for you -- it is not a project management tool. We have other tools for group collaboration and project management. Tracks is just there to help keep you organized using the contexts, projects and methods that work best for you.

Since people's brains work differently, your task management system may not work for someone else. That's why I like flexible frameworks. Extensible task tracking systems will allow your staff to fine tune their task management to get the most out of the tools you offer.

The nice thing about Tracks is that it is for you -- it is not a project management tool. We have other tools for group collaboration and project management. Tracks is just there to help keep you organized using the contexts, projects and methods that work best for you.

Since people's brains work differently, your task management system may not work for someone else. That's why I like flexible frameworks. Extensible task tracking systems will allow your staff to fine tune their task management to get the most out of the tools you offer.